"The Stranger/The Fall" by Albert Camus (1942 and 1956)

"That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her.  I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to.  Then she wanted to know if I loved her.  I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn't mean anything but that I probably didn't love her.  'So why marry me, then?' she said.  I explained to her that it didn't really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married.  Besides, she was the one doing the asking and all I was saying was yes.  Then she pointed out that marriage was a serious thing.  I said, 'No.'  She stopped talking for a moment and looked at me without saying anything."

Albert Camus was a French writer who grew up in Algeria.  He is best known for his novel The Plague, reviewed here about 9 months ago, and for The Stranger, which forms one of the two novels/novellas in this collection.  The Stranger was first published in 1942, when Camus was a member of the French Resistance, while The Fall was published 14 years after.

As one might expect from a writer of Camus' versatility, the two books couldn't be more different.  The Stranger describes the consequences of a murder, while The Fall is more of a commentary on human nature.  The Stranger examines the right (or lack thereof) of an individual to stray from societal norms, while The Fall is the story of a man who ascends to the very heights of society, only to find this society hollow and unfulfilling.  The two stories compliment one another nicely.

I really enjoyed The Stranger and its misanthropic protagonist, but it was The Fall that really spoke to me.  At times I had the feeling that the narrator was speaking to me directly, about my own condition.  It is a very philosophical story - and the narrator of this story is very up front about the fact.  The Stranger is more subtle, more muted, and has a more ambiguous case to make.

Both The Stranger and The Fall are, by the way, much easier reading than The Plague.  Where The Plague comes on like a funeral dirge, The Stranger and The Fall exhibit a much lighter touch.  The Plague is also a story about a group of people, whereas both The Stranger and The Fall are about individuals and their struggles with a larger culture.

This collection is excellent, and I heartily recommend it.

"The Plague" by Albert Camus (1947)

"...perhaps the day will come when, for the instruction and misfortune of mankind, the plague will rouse its rats and send them to die in some well-contented city."

"The Plague" is one of those books that I'd been meaning to read for decades.  Likewise Albert Camus, an author that I've read so much about, was largely a stranger (if you'll forgive the pun) to me until I read this book.  Having just finished "The Plague," I can say that his reputation is entirely justified.

This novel is the story of a pestilence which envelops a small town in French North Africa on the eve of World War II.  Many of the details in the book are autobiographical, and the narrative shines with Camus' unique understanding of human nature.  It is a book with a very French sensibility, but Camus infuses it with a universality that makes it very accessible.

That said, it is extremely depressing.  It's not as depressing as Jose Saramago's "Blindness," which I read last year, but it is nevertheless a downer.  Anyone who has waded through Sartre, one of Camus' contemporaries, will have some idea of the bleak nature of this book, but those who haven't will probably find it a bit off-putting.  The plague takes hold of the town very early in the book, and its hold is unrelenting until the last few pages.

I'm eager to read Camus' "The Rebel," which is apparently his favorite of his own books.  I think there is a lot to like in his approach to fiction, and "The Plague" is definitely a well-written and thoroughly engaging novel.  Just the same, you'll probably feel slightly exhausted after reading this trial of the human spirit.  It has lessons to teach, yes, but these lessons require a bit more fortitude from the average reader.